Holiday Waste Tips

The holidays are a great time with friends, family, and good food. But the holidays are also one of the most waste-producing times of the year. In fact, household waste increases more than 25% from Thanksgiving to New Years, and over 172,000,000lbs of turkey is waste each year. Keep these tips in mind this holiday season to help reduce waste.

1. Estimate. Estimate the amount of food you need based on your guest count. Go to  SaveTheFood.com to get an estimate of how much food you’ll need based on the number of guests you’re hosting. This prevents over-consumption and reduces food waste.

2. Eat food in season. Food in season varies by state but for most states, root vegetables like beets, carrots, and potatoes are a good choice. For fruits, apples, pears, pumpkin, and cranberries are great options. Eating food that’s in season is higher quality, is less harmful for the environment than growing out-of-season crops, and conserves water resources.

3. Shop local. Check out your local co-ops, farmers markets, local gardens, and farms. For meat, check to see if your local farms use Sustainable Animal Agriculture.

4. To-go containers. Encourage your guests to bring their own reusable to-go containers for leftovers. It’ll reduce the amount of waste and save yourself some cleanup time!

5. Scraps and storing. While creating your dishes, save things like bones and other scraps to reuse into broths and other meals later. Compost your other food scraps if possible! If you have an amount of leftovers that will last for more than a few days, store them in the freezer so they can last longer.

6. Donate. Donate any non-perishable food items to your local food pantries, like an unused can of cranberries. Make sure to check with your local housing shelters to see if they will accept cooked food.